We had another roller coaster day today. In rounds this morning the doctors discussed Hannah's plan for today. It included getting a visit from an ear, nose, and throat specialist, a CAT scan of her brain, and as usual trying to ween the vapotherm. The discussion of the CAT scan alarmed us because it included the possibility Hannah may have neurological problems or brain damage.
THE UGLY...for a minute- The scan went as well as it could with trying to restrain a 3 month old. The results were scary but not terrible. Hannah has a subneuro hematoma- bleeding around the brain. Our hearts dropped as the doctor told us of the findings, as any parents would. The doctor went on to explain that the bleeding was nothing to be alarmed about and is a common occurrence after being on a heart/lung bypass machine in surgery. He and a neurosurgeon reviewed the scan. Both agreed it was not a factor in Hannah's breathing difficulties and shouldn't have any long term effect on her. The "bruise" will heal itself in time and is not causing any pressure on her brain. If the bruise were a factor it would have caused problems closer to her post surgery date.
THE BAD...-The ear, nose, and throat doctor came to visit Hannah and gave no diagnosis. He suggested we give her a little more time to work the respiratory problems out on her own. He has scheduled a procedure on next Tuesday to scope her airway if her problems persist that long. Please pray that the problems are resolved by then. We don't want any more invasive procedures on our Hannah, and want to keep her out of the operating room.
And then there's the vapotherm. We are slowly weening, but it is still here. As long as she is having respiratory problems the vapotherm will remain. Hannah does sound improved this afternoon. She is not as raspy as this morning or previous days.
THE GOOD...Hannah had plenty of lap time with mommy and daddy today. She only has a few wires and hoses as compared to previous days. This made it much easier and less stressful to hold and cuddle with her. We enjoyed being able to hold our baby once again. Prior to today, I had only held her twice since her surgery! This therapy was as good for us as it was for her.
We also had a wonderful visit with Chris and Regena Hughes. We took a walk with them and ate lunch off campus....a rare treat. I felt comfortable leaving Hannah for a little while because we had our favorite nurse, Rachel, tending to Hannah. She is wonderful and we wish we could take her home with us. Rachel was Hannah's nurse the first 2 days after her surgery. She is a blessing to all her patients and their families. She knows when I need a break and convinces me to take a walk or get out of the ICU for a while. Thanks Chris, Regena, and Rachel!
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